Shiver
by mortal-marauders
Summary: Older AU punk!nico dorky!will in a big city. Because I am emotionally compromised with these two. Cover from Sunil's Sketches
1. Chapter 1

_a/n: Bear with me guys, its been forever since i've written anything but poetry…_

* * *

The city of Chicago breathed its own sort of life. It was 7:00 on a crisp fall night, that perfect time when the sun starts to set and the city gets bathed in orange light as store owners start to flick on their fairy lights. It has a magical sort of air; made even more exquisite by its rarity, seeing as though the dark and mysterious nighttime lurked just after.

The subway was bustling with all different forms of life, most of which had just finished up at their jobs for the day. Among this crowd there was a pre-med student named Will Solace, running to make his schedule and shouting apologies at anybody he might've accidentally touched in his hurry.

Will was absolutely exhausted from his lectures and his hospital observations. Before becoming a doctor he had a hard path in front of him; paved with many exams, observations, all-nighters, and even some brown-nosing. It was hard-set routine for him, he duly noted, after making it to buy his traditional L-line subway ticket. Sleep for a few hours, go to school, observe at the children's hospital, and then go home and study until early hours in the morning.

He boarded the train to sit on his traditional seat (9th to the right of the door, a nice multiple of three), and almost sat directly onto somebody. He spun around in surprise, drinking in the sight of a person occupying his seat. The criminal had a pale olive complexion, dark hair pulled into a short ponytail, multiple piercings and tattoos, and smoking obsidian eyes. Which were, currently, intensely glaring at Will.

"Sorry" Will mumbled, moving towards the 12th seat. He had to try to recover some semblance of his pattern, anyways. Today had already messed him up too much, he thought, closing his eyes out of exhaustion. After his schedule today Doctor Ginerva Griffith had pulled him aside for a talk, hence him being late and almost missing the ride. Though pleased with his results, his superiors had decided to force him to take a week off: stating that he could not be as effective in classes while this exhausted. People thought he had been "pushing himself too far," and they considered forcing a weeks vacation to be his medicine.

Medicine, his ass. Will groaned into his hands, taking a deep breath in for three seconds. He considered this a failure, not being able to cover up his shortcomings. How could he possibly become as great as his dad while taking a week off? This threw a major kink into his routine, and his pattern orientated brain did not appreciate it.

Will was so out of it and engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice his stop chime by. He didn't notice the sky as it gradually faded to darker hues, and he was not expecting the two men to approach him.

"Hey there, sunshine. You don't look familiar to me." The first gruffly said, leaning against the subway pole.

"Uhm," Will uneasily stuttered, racking his brain. He couldn't find an effective solution to end this conversation, hell, he didn't even know what the problem looked like.

"What's in that little suitcase?" The second sneered, greedily looking over the leather object.

"That sure is a nice watch," the first added. "Did mommy buy it for you?"

Will's heartbeat sped up. This must be an unhealthy number of beats per minute, he faintly thought. He knew he wasn't helpless, measuring in at 6'4" with a fair amount of muscle. He simply felt uneasy hurting people, and he didn't like two against one. He nervously scanned over their bodies, considering fast and easy pressure points to quickly and harmlessly take them out if the situation became dire.

However, he never had to break his code. The boy who stole his seat shifted his eyes to the men, and glared at them with disdain. Will almost shivered from the aura of darkness he managed to put off.

"Get out," the boy muttered.

The men gulped, and instantly scattered. In a trance, Will even started to raise himself out of his seat.

"You," he shifted his eyes to Will. "Are you okay?"

Will gulped, and then nodded his head "Uh, yeah, totally. Thank you so much for, uh, stepping in? I really didn't want to have to do anything…"

The man exhaled lightly, cutting him off. "You shouldn't be so _incurante_. You should get off now and pay for a cab."

The doors chimed, seemingly backing up the man's statement. Will hastily stood up, and started walking over to the doors before composing himself and pausing before the man.

"Thanks again, I really could've gotten into some trouble. My name's Will!" He held out his hand for a handshake, and awkwardly ran his hand through his hair instead after a few seconds of the mans piercing stare. "Uh, see you later, death boy?" Will tried to tease, pointing at the guys black skull shirt.

The man simply raised an eyebrow. Will could've sworn he heard him mutter "_inverosimile"_ under his breath, but he promptly had to run as the doors started closing.

It took Will 120 well-paced steps to make it to a cab, and 24 long minutes to ride back to his quaint apartment. He walked up his stairs, and crumpled to the floor right after he shut his door. His thoughts were spinning, and he couldn't make it all stop. He had failed to keep his composure, and was (in his mind) fired for a week. He almost missed his line. His seat had been taken. He missed his stop.

His 6-9-6 deep breathing sets finally started kicking in, and he miserably crawled into his bed to marathon some hospital-drama show on TV. When the fog of sleep started to claim him, his brain caught on the black hair of the protagonist. So pretty. Almost like that smaller man on the subway with all those interesting tattoos who managed to scare people away.

Needless to say, he dreamed of smoking black eyes.

* * *

On the opposite side of town, Nico di Angelo brushed dirt off of his pants and started to walk home. He had been sitting at his sister Bianca's grave for quite a while, as he tended to get lost in his thoughts. It had been over ten years since her death, but it still hurt. However, it was nothing like the blind rage and hate he had when she had first died. He had been unstable then, a dangerous mess. Nico had been well on the road to a life in and out of jail; because, hey, people do crazy things when their whole life gets ripped away from them. One time he had half-heartedly tried to steal an expensive card game from a store, and the judge gave him the option of a camp or prison.

He chose to go to camp, which might have been one of the best decisions of his life. While there he met several new kids, learned how to channel his rage through punching bags, and received an education. He had a brighter future now, and was making his way through college.

Nico just wished Bianca had been able to be with him. He still felt an emptiness, a sort of lonely aching he couldn't seem to fix. He came to talk to her often to try to make up for it. Bianca had been buried on the rougher side of town, where the two of them had grown up with their mom. He had needed to take the L-line pretty far down, which he never liked doing.

He smirked, thinking of the dork who had ridden the train too far. The cardigan-wearing giant was a fish out of water that far down, drawing attention. It was a good thing he had been there, he didn't think the man would've done anything to hurt the guys bothering him. Which was a little funny, because it was hard not to notice the firm lines underneath the guys cardigan that suggested some nice biceps. With that much muscle and height, he could be dangerous.

Will, he absentmindedly thought, remembering the guys name.

_Idiota._

* * *

A/N- Hopefully it wasn't trash! I felt so formal writing this... I'll have to work on that. I really need to practice, and what could be a better way than solangelo amiright ;) I definitely want to write fluff. Soon.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N- I totally picture Piper as this edgy, free-spirited girl who's into yoga and astronomy. I don't even know, man_

* * *

A soft light hit Will's eyes, confusing him as he woke up. Since when was there light outside at 5 am?

Oh.

Right.

Will groaned into his pillow at his "vacation" predicament. When he checked the clock and saw that it was 11:00 am, he almost screamed.

Which was probably good that he didn't, somebody might have called the cops. And that really would've made a mess.

But still, it was a whopping six hours later than Will normally got up. That was practically a wasted day! He toyed with the paw of Mr. Snuggles, the old teddy bear he must've pulled out sometime last night in his sadness. Logically speaking, his sleep deprivation must've caught up with him. That didn't change the fact that this was not a proper time for a studious pre-med student like himself to wake up.

However, he pondered, this probably would be the sort of time a rebellious guy like the one on the bus would get up. Will bet that Death Boy didn't have a schedule. He probably wouldn't even be fazed by a week long vacation! He would've just glared at Dr. Ginerva Griffith and quit on the spot.

Will let out a laugh at the notion. It would be so nice to have no attachments, just floating free. He could totally do that! He shot out of bed, grabbing some of his tighter jeans and scrounging around until he found a tank folded on his highest closet shelf. He proudly left his apartment and strut down the stairs, only to open the door and freeze. A gust of cool Chicago wind blew in his face, and he promptly slammed the door and ran upstairs.

Will quickly shimmied on a sweater and sunk into his couch. Maybe that wasn't his best idea, he didn't seem to be doing too well without a plan. He began sulking again, slinking over to his kitchen fully prepared to eat lots of food. He swung open his fridge door, nose wrinkling at all of the healthy food. He settled for a yogurt, popping the lid and downing it.

Only to run to his sink and spit it out a moment later, glaring at the "eat by" date that had been passed.

Will shook his head. There was no way in hell that he was being reduced to bad rom-coms and outdated yogurt. He grabbed his phone, it was officially time to call for help.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Will walked through the doors of Piper McLean's tattoo and hair shop. She was a gorgeous girl who effortlessly pulled off her choppy brown hair and subtle side shave. Piper had a dedicated customer base for her quaint store, having a great combination of an edgy eye for style and a calming, persuasive voice. This made her a fantastic counselor, she could make even the worst days seem okay with her free-spirit attitude and meditation. Will had been lucky to meet her, her movie-star dad had gotten along with his music-orientated father pretty well.

She noticed Will as soon as he walked through the door, and nodded slightly at his jeans, winking.

"Give me five minutes!" She called over to him, before turning back to primping some customers dreads. They were talking about some sort of street boxing match, which made sense. Piper was dating a guy named Jason, and the two of them would go down to a local gym to train sometimes. Neither were too serious to do matches, but they enjoyed the power of self defense and honing their body.

The door chime woke Will from his musings."Thanks! See you tomorrow night!" The customer shouted.

"Anytime, Hazel!" Piper called. She turned her attention over to Will, and smiled. "Now what are we going to do with you, you little dropout?"

"Piper," Will groaned, "That's not funny! In my pain last night I even…" he lowered his voice, "I even grabbed Mr. Snuggles!"

She let out a low whistle. "Wow, Will. You're right. I haven't seen you this low for quite a while." She paused. "Mr. Snuggles, though? Really?"

Will lightly hit her, and she laughed. "Sorry, just checking man." She sat down next to him and thought for a moment. "You know, I understand why it hurt so much. With all that pressure from watching your dad, it must be hard. You impose all of those strict rules and high goals for yourself and get so disappointed if you don't reach them. But, Will, I promise you; none of your friends are disappointed in you. Hell, you're exceeding boundaries. You don't need to prove your worth, you're already there!" She lightly bumped his arm. "Cheer up buddy. This week-off thing might even turn out to be good, you've been missing out on some fun when you coop yourself up in that hospital all day."

Will looked at her for a second, and then let out a shaky smile. "Thanks Pipes. That means a lot to me."

"In fact," Piper contemplated, "I was just about to close up the shop for the night, anyways. Let me show you around this side town a bit. Maybe we can buy you some flowers for that apartment of yours. Or maybe we can even find you a boy to make out with, no?" She winked.

Will blushed, and ended up chasing her out the door to try to put her in a headlock.

* * *

Nico di Angelo's morning started out much earlier.

His blaring alarm clock went off at 8 am sharp. It was quite loud and disorientating, so he shot up; accidentally tangling his legs in the sheets. His momentum carried him; rolling the scrambling boy sheets and all off the bed. He groaned, rubbing his head. _Piedra_, he muttered, rubbing the sore spot. Mornings were not his forte. Unfortunately, he didn't really have a choice. In order to pay for college he needed two jobs, so his classes were in what he considered to be a despicably early time in the morning so he could work evenings. He grabbed a bagel and banana to go while running out the door, desperately trying to shove his foot into his black military-style shoes.

Classes started at 9 o'clock and ran to 12:40 five days a week, giving him around 18 hours of college. From there he worked a vinyl and comic book store called "Knick-Knacks" until 5, which he mainly did from the pleas of the owner. Apparently they used to have some musically-orientated guy named Octavian working the afternoon, but legend has it he started acting a little crazy and the customers were freaked by the stuffed-animal body parts laying around. This lead to a prompt dismissal of the man, and a pretty desperate store owner trying to hire Nico.

Overall, the pay wasn't bad and the shop had a pretty neat vibe. Plus, most days there weren't too many customers, so he could use the gaps to study and do homework. It wasn't until the night that things livened up for him, when he would head down to the gym and box to earn some nice, if not a little shady, cash.

Nico managed to slide into his business lecture just in time, only to space out while the old professor droned on about investments. He had a habit of doodling on his papers throughout the day, coming up with new potential tattoos. By this point in his life he didn't really mind how people perceived him, he figured if they were scared off by some ink his personality probably wouldn't be too compatible with theirs anyways.

By the end of all of his classes he had a few doodles that he wanted to compare with one of his tattoo artist friends, Piper McLean. The two of them met through the gym, she was a pretty friendly person. She was also stubborn, which he grudgingly acknowledged was crucial in order to get through his frosty exterior.

Nevertheless, he thought while walking through the doors to Knick-Knacks, Piper could be stopping in today. Queso Quest had dropped a new album, and he figured she'd try to be one of the first to get it on vinyl.

He wasn't bothered by too many customers, most were quiet and knew where they were going. It was a dream job; lots of quiet, good music, fantastic hours, and fully functioning espresso machines. Nico took a special pleasure in the last object.

It wasn't until two hours later that he heard the door chime, followed by Pipers laughter. Nico peered up from his textbook and noticed some guy with her that definitely wasn't Jason. But something about that blonde hair looked familiar…

"Hey!" Piper warmly called, pulling off her coat and making herself at home by putting it on the desk. "Nico, this is Will. Will, this is…"

"Wait." Will said, squinting. "...Death boy?"

Nico lightly blushed at the embarrassing name. He hoped Piper hadn't heard, but her little laugh suggested otherwise. The boy was none other than the dork on the subway. "Yo," he muttered, throwing a wave at him.

"You two know each other?" Piper asked.

"Nah, not really." Will said. "Death boy over there scared off some people looking to take my watch on the subway."

"My name is Nico." Said boy weakly protested.

"Aw." Piper cooed over him, reaching over to ruffle Nico's hair. She was, in fact, the only one who dared to do this without the risk of a sudden death. "Are you softening up on me?"

Nico rolled his eyes, trying to ignore her. Friends were such a pain sometimes.

"Anyways," Will said, sticking out his hand, "Nice to formally meet you, Nico."

Nico nodded, taking his hand. He was immediately surprised by how warm Wills hands were, they seemed to radiate a light into Nico's freezing fingers. Piper lightly coughed, shooting them a joking smirk.

Nico rolled his eyes at her teasing antics. "You have the spotlight again, Beauty Queen," he lightly teased. "Speaking of, I have a Queso Quest album and some doodles to show you."

Will tried to follow their conversation, but he started to wander off once they started to talk about obscure artists. The store was cozy, made for comfort. It had big windows in the front, letting in a yellow light that cast upon the shelves of vinyls. There were antique chairs all over littered with blankets, seemingly made for the customers to be able to sit down and test vinyls before committing and buying. He trailed his hand down the line of vinyls, marveling at the different album covers, it really was a great store.

Will almost tripped,the result of an orange tabby cat that peered at him from his feet. Nico quickly appeared, scooping the creature up. "Careful, Herbert!" He lightly chastised the cat. "No disturbing the customers!"

Herbert merely mewed, pawing Nico's nose. Nico sighed. "Sorry, hope you're not allergic. They started showing up shortly after I started working, I don't know why."

Piper rounded the corner, laughing. "Oh, don't give him that bullshit. We both know precisely why." She leaned in towards Will conspiratorially, "He lets cats sneak in and feeds them, they're a total soft spot for him. Sometime he gets quite the army going in here, and the owner doesn't mind because they don't touch the merchandise. Never let him trick you into thinking he's as dark and brooding as he lets off."

Will and Piper laughed at the dark boy. They ended up staying at the store until Nico closed it up. Will ran around sampling the albums, Piper looked through tattoo designs, and Nico received a hell of a lot of teasing. Nico smirked while walking down to the gym. Overall, he had to admit, it was a pretty _bello_ day.

* * *

After flopping back into his bed at the day, Will felt a lot better. Piper had pulled a miracle, calming his frayed nerves and helping him back into his carefree attitude. He was not going to let one disappointment dictate his life, and had promised to check up with her tomorrow night again. She seemed really determined to force him to listen to some of her favorite albums, and Nico had waved her on to use Knick-Knacks built in stereos. Who would've guessed what the city is filled with when you're not in school!

* * *

_A/N- Nico with kittens? Ultra-chill Piper? Hazel with dreadlocks? I should really calm down ;)_

_So, Nico's not as brooding when with good friends. And Will is a little cute when he freaks, I see him as having a curiosity and almost kid-funny sort of side._


	3. Chapter 3

Will spent the morning observing the Windy City. He looked at the little things; the color of the benches, the scarf a young girl was wearing, the hue of the sky. He had some time to kill before meeting Piper at Knick Knacks, so he lived with the flow of the city.

He tried to remember it all, how the hot dog stands smelled early in the morning, the number of steps it took to cross the street, the laugh of the cafe's cashier. Who had, by the way, been pretty cute. Will didn't have the energy to actively flirt with the man though, he found himself considering how the man's hair had just been a little too… blonde. And short.

Will blushed furiously as his brain subconsciously thought of a different color. A dark, long texture that could be pulled into a ponytail. He sighed.

There was no doubting that Nico was good-looking, it was just a type he had never really thought to look towards. He normally stayed far away from black, so this new development surprised him. He never would've pictured being so attracted to Nico's lip ring, he thought of how that must feel while kissing him. And God, those tattoos. He wanted to run his fingers down them, tracing their contours. He wondered how far down they went past his shirt's neckline…

Will squeaked, cutting off his thoughts. He tried to chastise himself for being so inappropriate, but he couldn't quite find the heart to do it. No harm in thinking, right? Besides, the "straight-edge" life teachers seemed to advise so didn't quite seem to be doing anything for him recently. Maybe it was time for a change.

With that in mind, he checked his watch and started to head over to Knick Knacks.

* * *

Knick Knacks had been pretty uneventful today. Nico had only needed to restock a few shelves and check out some customers. Otherwise, he had the time to cuddle up on one of the armchairs with an espresso and the cats. He jolted up at the sound of the door opening, narrowly avoiding spilling espresso on himself and Herbert.

"Hello?" Nico called out, a little grumpy.

"Uh," the customer peeked around the corner, revealing himself to be Will. "Hey Nico!"

Nico squinted his eyes, observing the other boy. Will had on a scarf, and his sunshine blonde hair was messy from the wind. He got the strange urge to reach out and fix it. Of course, being Nico, he ignored it. "You again," he said, curling back down into his chair.

Will warily walked into the room, padding over to sit criss-cross on the floor by Nico's spot. Herbert betrayed him, jumping off to test out the sunny boys open arms.

"Pretty quiet today?" Will asked, motioning to the empty store.

"A bit, I guess." Nico responded. "The afternoons aren't super popular on weekdays due to our customers working and stuff."

Will hummed, nodding. Nico tried to drift back into his comfortable nap, but he couldn't. He could feel Wills presence, encompassing the aura like a warm hug. It was a new feeling for the icy boy.

After ten minutes of trying to relax in silence, Nico finally felt too bad. He looked over at the sunny boy playing with Herbert, before giving off an exasperated sigh and getting off the couch. He stretched and yawned before murmuring, "How much milk?"

Will got up and started to follow the other boy towards the desk, confused. "What?"

"Milk. You know, the dairy substance from cows. How much do you want in your espresso?"

Will almost choked. Nico was trying to be friendly? "Whatever works?" He cautiously responded.

Nico nodded, turning to grab Will a mug. "Not much goes on around here. The store really offers four things; espressos, adventure, music, and naps."

"It could be a worse four things," Will ventured. "Taxes, long lines, death, and eternal damnation."

Nico let out a short laugh, a sound that seemed to surprise them both. "I suppose you're right. The four of those seemed awfully similar to me."

The espresso machine beeped, and Nico poured it like a pro. Will supposed he had a lot of experience "So, young grasshopper, here is the first. One espresso to combat that sleep you should've gotten."

Will sipped it, nodding his head at the subtle taste of hazelnut. "Not entirely bad." He commented. "Almost like I paid half of my salary for it!"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Smartass. That's a whole quarter of the appeal of this job. The adventure part is right over here, that whole stack of comics."

The two wandered over and settled down to read. Nico chose Batman, and Will grabbed Spider Man. They read in a peaceful calm, only occasionally interrupted by Will squealing or Nico calling over a cat. The two read their comics and had little conversations for twenty minutes before Piper walked in.

"You were only around an hour late." Will dryly remarked.

"It's the thought that counts!" Piper retorted, sitting down. "But actually, I kind of lost track of time with my last appointment and ended up closing the shop up late."

"Speaking of," Nico said, "We have about another hour here before I have to close up."

"Oh God," Piper exclaimed. "What are we wasting time talking for than? Pop in the pink vinyl, Nico! No time to delay, boys!"

* * *

Will liked what Piper had played, but everything started to blend together after the first three songs. He spent more time considering how neat the shop was, the speakers alone were very clear and powerful.

But all too soon it had been time to leave. Piper insisted upon dragging him along to a boxing match that was happening downtown, apparently it was a gym she went to sometimes. And, Nico was in the match.

Will wasn't very surprised after hearing the boy was into boxing. Where his skinny frame didn't quite scream it, the boys aura was perfect for boxing. Will wouldn't have been surprised if some people just walked out of the ring after Nico looked at them.

So, that's how he ended up getting shuffled into his creaky chair. The place was slightly shady, the entrance to the ring was through a small staircase down an alley. Once down the stairs the room opened up to a room smelling of sweat, and the walls had dents in places. Will didn't need to use much of his brain to imagine how the walls got into the shape they were in. The ring was the crowning glory of the room, roped off in red for the contestants. It seemed like the perfect place for some borderline-illegal gambling.

Wills pulse was racing. He had wanted to explore the facility and the connecting practice gym, but Piper made him sit down. Apparently the match was close to starting. He also got the feeling that she didn't want him running into trouble or accidentally gambling a lot of money away on a match.

Nevertheless, it wasn't too long until the first match started; it was some girl named Reyna against a guy whose name he didn't catch. Will was astonished at how fast she took her opponent down, and he heard the crowd murmuring about how it wasn't even close to a fair opponent for her. Apparently she was one of the boxing legends around here.

Three more matches passed by, and Will was amazed watching them. The air of the arena seemed to have life to it, the crowds mood was tangible as the matches unfolded. There was so much raw emotion it was like a live concert, but even ten times more receptive. Will had to admit, he absolutely loved it. The grime, the sweat, the tears; it all felt so lucrative and raw. It was a sort of adrenaline rush that was totally new to Will.

Nico was the last match of the gig. It seemed like the whole night had been leading up to this, and the crowd was teeming with energy. Nico was very famous in here, the crowd referred to him as the _Ghost King _in regards to his tendency to beat any sort of opponent and the condition he left them in. Tonight he was pit against a monster of a guy, brimming with weight and sheer size. Will thought that it must be unfair, they weren't even close to being in the same weight class. Yet, he supposed, so must be the way of a slightly-illegal street fighting place.

The match started, and the two began circling each other. The whole stadium seemed to be whispering, and Will could hear paper shuffling as the last bets were placed. All that was left for the boys to make a move.

* * *

Nico stared at his opponent, somebody called _El Cuchillo_ or something. He figured it was Spanish, but it sounded like the Italian word for spoon, so the effect wasn't very intimidating. Cuchillo moved first, aiming a shot towards his head. Nico sidestepped it pretty easily, but he could tell that the man's fists would be dangerous. It would only take a few clear shots from these mammoth fists to take a guy of his stature down.

Nico went on the defense, dodging the man and only allowing really light hits. He was either new to this gym or from a different part of town, Nico had never seen him around. Because of that he started by tracking the man's every move; cataloging weaknesses and strengths. While he had a massive amount of brute strength, he was lacking in swiftness.

A few seconds later his opponent threw a sloppy punch, giving Nico a chance to slam a well-timed punch to his exposed stomach. This disorientated the man, giving Nico a chance to go on the offense and get in two more solid punches before safely retreating and going on the defense. He was able to successfully execute this move a second time, too. It made Cuchillo angry, and he started getting more spontaneous and unpredictable.

The third time Nico tried his move it didn't work as well. He didn't get out of the way fast enough, choosing to aim another punch instead. The man used that time to grab his ponytail, kneeing him in the gut. Nico coughed, tasting blood and backing away. A few hits like that could knock him out.

Nico shook his head and spit. Sure, the guy was massive, but strategy could beat him. He didn't detect patterns until the third time around, so Nico would have to cause enough damage by two repetitions at most.

Nico smiled. Piece of cake. At that moment Cuchillo charged, and Nico ducked under, aiming a punch at his sternum and rib cage that left left his opponent gasping for air. He swept his foot under the tipsy mans legs, knocking him down. The crowd started their countdown, and Nico grinned.

Three seconds in the man groaned and got to his knees. "No more Mr. Nice guy, little boy." He growled. "It's time for you to find out why they call me El Cuchillo."

The man surged to his feet with a speed Nico wasn't expecting, and he saw the man's hand coming up. Nico tried to move to the side, hoping to divert the blow away from his sternum.

Except, it wasn't a punch the man threw. He had a small pocketknife in his hand, and made a gash down Nicos arm. He followed with a succession of jabs that Nico scrambled to divert, taking them to the skin instead of organs. Cuchillo stepped back, satisfied. He figured Nico was out for the count.

Nico groaned, feeling blood run down his skin. _Dio cane!_ Hell right no more Mr. Nice Guy, it was time to take him down. The blood loss was going to start affecting him soon, and his lungs still weren't feeling great from the other guys knee. It was time for something big.

Nico charged the man, aiming a punch at his face. He felt the man's nose crunch, a tell-tale sign that it broke. He carried the punch through a spin that gave him momentum to snap a flying kick at the mans head.

Cuchillo's head snapped back, and Nico put all of his strength into three more moves; kneeing the man in the gut, kicking the side of his rib cage, and a final punch to the sternum.

El Cuchillo fell, hitting the floor with a large thud. He was definitely out cold. Nico finally looked out of the ring, squinting at the bright light and registering the crowds roar of approval. It didn't last for long, seeing as though Nico promptly fell to his knees.

* * *

_A/N- i got nothing for you guys; just a vague, encompassing sense of unease._


	4. Chapter 4

_song of the day- first day of my life, bright eyes_

**Ch 4: Treatment**

* * *

Nico wasn't really quite sure what was going on, but his head hurt like hell. It was almost like back in the "good old days" when his life would only alternate in between drug-induced insane highs and crushing lows.

But, he was pretty sure he would've remembered if he had decided to go off the deep-end last night. The headache wasn't the same as the pure shitty feeling drugs had left him with, and the pain only seemed to come from his head, ribs, and skin.

So, it must've been a street fight.

However, it didn't feel like the cement from the boxing alley underneath his body. Rather, it felt... Plush. Like a luxury bed.

What the hell?

Nico figured it was time to try to open his eyes.

Slowly, Nico's eyes opened to take in his mysterious surroundings. It was a nice room; very clean and organized. It seemed like an apartment, and the only weird thing was a strange teddy bear in the corner. Nico wiggled his fingers, testing his reaction time.

Not the worst. It wasn't the best feeling ever, but he had certainly been in tougher situations.

Nico swung his feet up, trying to maneuver himself to stand up.

Only to promptly fall when he tried to shift his weight onto his feet

"Figlio di puttana" Nico softly cursed.

Will ran into the room after hearing the loud crash, and his eyes widened at the sight of Nico crumpled on the floor.

"Figs of what now? And why exactly are you on the floor instead of my nicely made impromptu medical bed?"

"Wait, Will?" Nico questioned, confused. "Why are you here?"

Will walked over, nodding. "You remember my name, that's a good sign for concussion or head injury indication." He stopped his medical mumbling, "This is my home, silly."

"_Che cosa?_ Say that one more time?"

"Yup." Will chuckled. "This is my house, death boy. I'm studying to be a doctor, you're in pretty good hands." Will kneeled down to start checking Nico's bandages.

Nico paused to consider the irony. One boy in the room was known as the king of ghosts, and the other worked to revive them.

After a few minutes, Nico spoke again. "But... Why help me?"

Will snorted. "What, was I supposed to leave you bloody in the ring?" He grew somber after noticing how Nico wasn't making eye contact. "Hey, I just figured you probably weren't the type to check yourself into a hospital for this sort of thing. And I know how to patch people up, and I don't want any money or anything. If anything, I should be thanking you for being my test patient here."

Nico shook his head. "No, no, no. That's not what I meant at all." He paused to reassemble his words. " I guess... I guess I was just surprised at your act of kindness. Thanks for doing this for me."

Will beamed. It was so bright that it almost hurt to look at, but Nico stayed looking at him. It was so unique, and he made a promise in his head to get used to it.

"Come over anytime, Nico." Will replied.

For the first time in a while, Nico smiled back

"With your injuries, I'm going to duck out so that you can sleep for a bit longer. Your body seems like it's been running in low sleep for a while now. But, if you need anything, feel welcome to call out and I'll get here as soon as possible."

Will leaned down and picked Nico up from the floor to deposit him on the bed. The boy seemed as light as a box of feathers, which was a little troubling. He would have to go try to make some food to shove down the scrawny boy's throat.

Nico played with the covers, watching Will's back as he left the room.

Being cared for. Now, that was a weird feeling.

* * *

Will nervously tapped his pencil on the kitchen table, thinking of Nico.

It really had been an awesome sight to see Nico standing, bloody and triumphant, over his opponent. The moment seemed surreal, with the fierce gleam of victory shining in the boy's eyes and the noise of the crowd going absolutely batshit crazy. They all loved that sort of shit.

And then, the fuzzy feeling in his head had gone _cold_ as Nico fell to the floor.

Thankfully, he didn't seem to have any head injuries from hitting the ground, but he was going to have a nasty headache for quite a while. Will's examinations had seemed to show that many of the cuts had simply broken the tip of the dermis on his arms and legs, and weren't too severe. His external obliques had suffered some damage from where Nico was trying to divert the damage from his stomach, as well. His lungs were in the worst condition. Will had been afraid that Nico had broken one of his ribs, but luckily he had just suffered from a bruised rib on his false ribs on the left side. It created a huge, blossoming red and purple bruise on Nico's side. Not that Will thought it looked kinda cool or anything…

So, he would just have to tell Nico a few things. And definitely not that he thought Nico looked cool. More like how he might feel the urge to only take shallow breaths, but taking normal breaths was crucial. And how the pain in his ribs should go away in three to four weeks, but if it didn't, to come back here at once. Purely for medical reasons. And he had already stitched up the deepest knife wounds, they were both very lucky that the crazy man with a knife hadn't been smart enough to aim for an artery. Now all that was left was to take a few weeks to heal, and watch for any sneakier damage.

It was definitely a breach on his patient, but Will thought Nico looked _damned_ cool with all of his bruises and stitches. His body was a work of color now, tatto ink spiraling with dried blood under the skin and thread. Not that he had an injury fetish or anything…

Will furiously blushed. Notgoodnotgoodnotgood. Those thoughts were trouble. He tried listing of the muscles in the body

_Flexor retinaculum, pronator teres longus, supinator, brachialis, brachioradialis, biceps brachii…_

Will groaned, thinking of how defined Nico's biceps brachii looked when he swung a blow at the opponent's sternum.

Yup, he was royally screwed.

* * *

_**a/n: sorry for all the HAP stuff ;) i guess school has me in it's vices. Thank you for every reviewer, follower, and favoriter that believed in me; I hope everybody is having a great year.**_


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